1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to toothbrushes and more particularly, to toothbrushes designed to simultaneously clean a large number of teeth using ultrasonic waves.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that tooth brushing is required for good dental hygiene. Ideally, every tooth in the mouth should be brushed on every surface above the gums. Usually, the bristles of the toothbrush are moved up and down over the exposed tooth surfaces and are worked into the spaces between the teeth and into the gum pockets. For most individuals, the entire tooth brushing process takes two to three minutes. Unfortunately, many individuals do not use proper technique nor spend an adequate amount of time brushing.
Recently, toothbrushes and other dental appliances have been developed that use ultrasonic waves to clean teeth. While such devices, if used properly, appear to adequately clean teeth, their efficacy is also dependent on the user""s ability to brush properly for a sufficient amount of time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,125 (Takemoto, et al.) discloses a device for transmitting ultrasonic waves to teeth comprising a mouth-guard structure filled with an ultrasonic wave-transmitting medium. During use, the structure is placed in the mouth so that the teeth of the upper and lower bridges are simultaneously disposed into the U-shaped upper and lower teeth receiving passages formed on the structure. The structure is attached to a hand piece capable of generating ultrasonic waves in the ultrasonic wave medium. Fluoride or other suitable decay-retarding agents may be applied to the top and bottom passages to provide protection against cavities. Unfortunately, such devices do not include means to clean the surfaces of the teeth, nor the spaces between the teeth or the gum pockets.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that can be used to simultaneously clean every tooth in an individual""s mouth.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a device that uses both bristles and ultrasonic wave action to clean teeth.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a device that is selectively attachable for use with currently available ultrasonic toothbrushes.
These and other objects are met by an improved teeth-cleaning module shown and described herein. The module comprises a U-shaped member made of soft, biocompatible thermoplastic, silicone, or latex material with complimentary shaped outer and inner U-shaped elements. The inner U-shaped element is aligned inside and spaced apart from the outer U-shaped element thereby forming opposite upper and lower bridge receiving spaces. The upper and lower bridge receiving spaces are designed to receive a user""s upper and lower bridges, respectively, when the U-shaped member is placed into the user""s mouth. Attached to the inside surfaces of the outer and inner U-shaped elements and extending into the bridge receiving spaces are a plurality of bristles which, during use, contact the surfaces of the teeth and gums.
The module includes means for connecting the U-shaped member to vibration producing means that can be connected to an ultrasonic toothbrush piece commonly used in the prior art and incorporated herein. In one embodiment, the means comprises a single stem disposed between the hand piece and the forward, outer edge of the U-shaped member. In another embodiment, the means comprises a Y-shaped yoke member with a central leg that connects to the member that extends from the vibration producing means. The two opposite legs of the Y-shaped yoke member wrap around the sides of the U-shaped member.
During use, the hand piece causes the vibration producing means to vibrate and create ultrasonic waves that are transmitted through the U-shaped member to the surfaces of the teeth. As the U-shaped member vibrates, the bristles move across the surfaces of the teeth, between the teeth, and into the gum pockets to provide enhanced cleaning action. The vibration producing means is assembled in an outer housing that connects to various dental ultrasonic hand pieces currently available today. By designing the module to be used with such hand pieces, the module may be used as an adjunct to the other brush head modules.